Two Many Elves
by Alpha-Hannah
Summary: It took the death of one to recognise the other...


A/N: Am not sure about this story anymore, I loved it when I first wrote it (around about a year ago I should think) but the writing style is lacking and I don't like the way I phrased most of it. It was written for Rhysenn's "Alliance of Men and Elves challenge". I may rewrite it, but it's up here mostly so that I can look at it and improve.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"What's wrong? You're unnaturally quiet, as if you weren't quiet enough already."  
  
The immortal in question looked away, causing the ranger to leap up from his position and grab the elf's face in his hands so he could not turn away again. "Tell me." He hissed, his weathered face menacingly close.  
  
The prince almost fainted from the close proximity of the human, but managed to restrain himself. Blue eyes met grey as he replied; "No, and you can't make me."  
  
An evil glint appeared in Aragorn's eye as he gazed at his best friend. "Oh?" he asked innocently, before tackling the elf and tickling him mercilessly.  
  
***  
  
After an indeterminable amount of time had passed, the man stopped his torture and the elf lay panting on the floor gasping for breath. "Valar, I love you" muttered Legolas.  
  
Isildur's heir stiffened. "What?" he asked.  
  
"I think you heard me correctly," and almost as an afterthought, he added "Meleth."  
  
"Legolas..." Aragorn started, yet was silenced by a finger to his lips.  
  
"Don't say it. I know. I see it in your eyes." A pause, as if for breath, "There is another." The elder of the two said, feeling his insides churning.  
  
Aragorn agreed with the statement, his words barely audible, "I leave for Lothlórien tomorrow."  
  
***  
  
MANY YEARS LATER..............................  
  
***  
  
The Fellowship fled from Moria, a member missing from their ranks, making them eight. The sorrow was transparent on everyone's faces.  
  
Legolas knew they were close to safety, but he dreaded hearing the voice of the one he loved realising how near they were. His heart almost broke anew when he heard Aragorn say, "We must reach the woods of Lothlórien."  
  
***  
  
Legolas heard the silky voice before he saw the one who spoke. He knew that, had he not had several arrows pointing to his own head, he would gladly have shot a few through the other elf.  
  
"The dwarf breathes so loud we could have shot him in the dark." Haldir spoke with much arrogance.  
  
The awe in Aragorn's voice was all too clear as his lover stepped before him. Yet for the sake of the rest of the group, minus Legolas, who already knew, he kept up a façade of just 'happening to know' the other elf, as they were led towards Galadriel.  
  
***  
  
"I cannot believe you are leaving so soon." Moaned Haldir, after a particularly nice morning under the trees in a secluded clearing."  
  
"It's a quest. It won't stop just because you want to make love to me under the bows." Answered an equally upset voice, but one fraught with reason.  
  
"Come back soon?" the elf offered.  
  
"Of course." The human replied. "When this is all over we will be together till the end of my time on Middle Earth."  
  
***  
  
Legolas wanted to take Gimli's axe and kill the orc before it spoke a word against his beloved. Yet he knew that he needed to hear what it had to say. Then it could die.  
  
"He's dead" chuckled the orc, a hint of triumph in his voice.  
  
The elf felt like a warg had punched him in the stomach. Aragorn, dead? It could not be. Only a few moments before he had looked over to see Aragorn fighting, to check he was okay, and the ranger had been fine.  
  
It was not until he looked into the orc's outstretched hand that he saw something that made the truth hit home. The pendant that he had given Aragorn for his 30th birthday. A pendant he had never taken off. A pendant which was now lying, with its chain broken, in the hands of a creature of darkness. He wanted to scream.  
  
***  
  
At Helm's Deep, the troops were getting ready to fight a battle which none but the most foolish thought they could win.  
  
Legolas could not focus. He was, of course, already bedecked in his warrior- like attire and sporting his bow, quiver and short swords with an air of grace. He could not, however, join in the panic, the organisation that was going on around him. He stood there, staring off into the distance and remembering.  
  
A being stopped in front of him, and did not move. He forced himself to concentrate on the human who had come to talk to him...and nearly died. That was it. He had finally gone mad from the grief. He truly believed Aragorn was standing in front of him. Then he realised, in that split second between hoping and believing that this was Aragorn. Legolas tried to convey his happiness into a phrase...all he managed was, "You're late...you look terrible."  
  
It was enough. The elf suddenly felt new life course through his veins, as he became the happiest he's been in his long life. He pulled the pendant out of his pocket and handed it over to his friend, perhaps lingering too long when their hands touched. But it did not matter. Nothing mattered. Aragorn was alive, and from the time between now and nightfall he was safe. Legolas sighed.  
  
***  
  
"That is no orc horn." Legolas conveyed to his friends, as he ran towards the gate.  
  
Coming up the causeway towards the fortress were row upon row of elves, adorned in beautiful armour and carrying bows that looked like they were worth their weight in gold.  
  
The gate was opened and the troops filed inside the castle courtyard. The lead elf came forward to speak to King Théoden; he was however cut off when he saw someone he did not wish to be there.  
  
Aragorn ran down the steps, forgetting himself for a moment, he practically leaped into his beloved's embrace, and only realised his mistake when Haldir did not immediately return the hug.  
  
"What are you doing here?" The elf whispered in Aragorn's ear. "It's not safe. You could be hurt."  
  
"What am I doing here?" answered the man hotly, "What are you doing here? You're right. It's not safe. I wanted you far away from this." He added as the closeness ended.  
  
"You are most welcome." Aragorn spoke aloud, sounding regal. His eyes told a different story though, and he began to get strange feeling deep down inside of him.  
  
***  
  
The conflict began, and there were many deaths. The humans would surely have perished long ago, had it not been for the Elven army that helped; though immortal, the elves can die from battle wounds, and countless number had ceased to be from this fate.  
  
***  
  
Aragorn was having trouble fighting. It was not that he had forgotten how to, or was injured in any way. He was having to much of a problem focusing on fighting Uruk-Hai when he was also looking about every five seconds to check on two elves that were of great import to him.  
  
It was during one of these times he was checking up on his elves, that he heard Théoden calling everyone to fall back. Not wanting to leave his friends in any danger, he screamed up to the battlements in the elvish tongue to Haldir. The elf nodded his agreement and began to fight his way over to the edge.  
  
Not seeing a massive Uruk-Hai behind him, the only notice Haldir had of his impending doom, was that of his lover shouting his name over the ruckus below. He had never been in so much pain. The metal, which pierced his back, seemed to reach inside his very soul, and rip it to shreds piece by piece.  
  
He was only vaguely aware, then, of Aragorn forcing his way up the stone steps to his left, trying to reach him in time, so that he could hold him before he took his last breath.  
  
As his vision blurred he saw bodies of orcs and elves alike, all now with one thing in common. He beseeched silently that he had some relevance to the outcome of the battle, and wondered briefly whether good was going to triumph over evil.  
  
***  
  
Aragorn reached Haldir, just in time to hold him before he succumbed to the darkness. He wished he could cry, and say some soothing words to his lover, but he knew that now was not the time. He was in the midst of perhaps the largest clash of light and dark he would ever have to face, so instead he countered all of his grief and feelings into revenge and swung his sword with all his might.  
  
***  
  
"Victory!" someone called over all the fighting, as tired faces looked to see all the remaining Uruk's running away from the scene.  
  
For Aragorn, that one word meant that finally he could stop. He could begin to collect his thoughts. What he wanted of course, more than anything else was to be able to say a proper goodbye to Haldir, but for the moment that was not going to be possible, so he said a short prayer instead.  
  
***  
  
Hours later, in the dusk of the next day, Legolas walked over to Aragorn, who was sitting on a rock, staring out, not knowing what he was seeing. The elf placed an arm round the shoulder of his friend and kept it there until the sobs that had been echoing finally ceased.  
  
Aragorn turned to his companion and saw him as if in a new light. He raised one hand to the cheek of the beautiful being in front of him, and leaned in for a kiss.  
  
Legolas was startled. This was not what he has expected at all. He was excited yet pained, that what he had wanted for so long was finally coming true, but he started to cry because he knew what he had to do.  
  
"Stop...Aragorn...Stop." He uttered, unsure as to what he was going to say.  
  
Aragorn tried to speak, but for the second time, Legolas silenced him with a soft touch of his slender finger on the man's lips.  
  
Legolas got up and started to walk away, his heart breaking as he did so. He left what he has always wanted; knowing that it was the right thing to do. It did not stop the pang that arrived in his heart though.  
  
"I do not want to be second best Aragorn." He whispered.  
  
~Fin~ 


End file.
